Page 25 of The Billionaire's Royal Crown

Isabelle arched an eyebrow as she tightened her arms across her chest. “Rejected me.”

Elena’s lips parted. Isabelle had gone after Eric and been shot down? When had this happened?

“I’m not proud of it. Quite embarrassed, actually. When he arrived, I…offered myself in your stead. He told me in no uncertain terms, I was useless to him.”

“Useless to him? That is…quite…rude.”

“I know,” Isabelle answered. “I’m not a commodity to be traded. And I suppose it made me realize that…well, neither were you.”

Elena studied her cousin, noting the hint of regret in her eyes. “No, I was not. And I detested that I was given away nearly at birth to this man.”

“I understand. I’ve been unfair to you, Elena. And for that, I am sorry. I cannot take it away, but I can do my best to help you stop this ridiculous battle from stealing your crown.”

Elena narrowed her eyes, searching for any sign of a lie. Was her cousin merely here to infiltrate their camp and feed information back to the enemy? “Thank you, Isabelle. I appreciate that. For now, we have it under control, but if we need you–”

“I can give you information.”

Elena exchanged a glance with Caroline. “What information?”

“Well, I can get information to give you. Julian trusts me. He will tell me things.”

“All right,” Elena answered with a raise of her eyebrows. “When you have any information, pass it along.”

“I have some now, though not from Julian. This is from Eric.”

“What is it?”

“The royal family of Corinthia is on the verge of being removed from rule.” She arched an eyebrow as she passed along the news.

Elena’s eyes went wide, her mind whirling. “What? How close?”

“From what I understand, very,” Isabelle said. “That’s whyhe is so desperate to marry into a monarchy. He will lose everything if they strip their titles.”

“That explains his interest in me.”

“I’m certain it goes beyond that, but yes, it explains why he went so far to try to convince you to marry him.”

Elena paced the floor, her finger tapping her chin. “This is interesting. I wonder if the Corinthian legislature is very close to a vote.”

“From what I gathered when I looked into this, they may vote within the year, and if not, next year for certain.”

Elena pressed her lips together. “Incredible. I wonder why?”

Isabelle sucked in a breath, her eyebrows arching high. “The royal family has been…spending far more than they are worth. Trips, wardrobes, security…you name it, they have spent on it. They are slowly emptying the Corinthian coffers.”

“Goodness,” Elena said with a sigh, “they’d probably ruin Eldoria, too.”

“I wouldn’t put it past him. He seems desperate to keep his lifestyle.”

“Well, I seem to have dodged that bullet, though with this wrinkle, Eric is hoping to capitalize on it.”

“We cannot let them win,” Isabelle answered.

“No,” Elena said. “Thank you, Isabelle, for that information. I appreciate it, and the sentiments you expressed earlier. I am sorry we weren’t closer.”

“So am I, though it is very much my fault.”

“Not really,” Elena answered. “It’s no one’s fault. Our lives were…difficult given our positions. But I am very hopeful that we will be able to move forward on a new foot.”

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